Devotional Commentary on Zechariah 3
It is said that stn stood at the right
hand to stn Joshua. The name and the action that he is doing has some
correlation. The noun is derived from the verb. The meaning of stn is somewhat
not clear. It could well be that this term was an Egyptian creole that was
taken up in the Hebrew tongue during Zechariah’s time from the Egyptian word
sswn meaning “consume or destroy”. The /s/ in second position would then be
read /t/ in Palestine. The verb stn would then mean that Satan came “to destroy
him”. A similar meaning to the characteristics of Satan was attributed to him
by Jesus in John 8:44 where Jesus indicated that Satan was “a murderer from the
beginning”. The verse is playing with the name and
action of the name using the same root: “the destroyer standing at his right
hand in order to destroy him”. There is a change in verbal forms from
the one vision to the other in Zechariah: Vision I: KJV 1:8 “I saw [Qal
Perfectum = past] by night”. Vision II: KJV 1:18 “Then lifted I up
[Qal Imperfectum which is translated as a past tense although it has a future
form because of the waw consecutive “and” that is added to the verbal form.
This addition in the narratives are known to create this shift from future
meaning past in the biblical prose. On should be careful not to
superimpose grammatical principles derived from the genre of narratives over
that of the genre of prophecy or the genre of poetry. One curious example is
where scholars ran into much difficulty in Joel 2:23a, 24, 25 and 26. These
verbal forms are ambiguous (B. Kedar Kopstein, “The Hebrew text of Joel as
Reflected in the Vulgate,” Textus IX [1981]: 25). “Yet the Hebrew is ambiguous [that is
either future or past] except verse 26 which is undoubtedly future”. In form,
Vallarsi’s Commentary of Jerome VI (1734-1742) corresponds exactly to the LXX
in verse 23a [past] and 23b [future], verse 24 [future] and verse 25 [future], verse
26 [future]. The solution is that one should realize that the semantics of the
tense forms [Perfectum or Imperfectum plus waw] will function differently in
different genres. In the genre of narratives the forms may be aspect,
potentiality or constativeness. In the genre of poetry it may be aspect,
potentiality but in the genre of the prophets it will be future potentiality or
futuristic. Here in Zechariah it functions the way like prose and narratives in
this verse. In verse 2 Zechariah wrote: “The Lord rebuke
you. The chosen one in Jerusalem, is this not a [KJV reads brand] offering that
was saved from the fire?” Instead of reading ‘wd as “brand” like
the KJV this uncommon word should be seen as a Hebrew form of the Egyptian word
3wt meaning “offering or oblation”. The meaning is that the chosen one in
Jerusalem is now safe but was meant to be offered [persecuted] but was then
plucked out [of the fire of tribulation] and now are viewed as saved from the
fire [of persecution]. In verse 3 he wrote: “And Joshua was
dressed in [KJV “filthy”] clothes. The word sw’ym for “filthy” is not a
common word in the Old Testament. Could it be possible that sw’ [of
which sw’ym is the plural] is the Hebrew form of the Egyptian cognate sw3
meaning “cut off”? This will mean that he was dressed in “torn” garments. This idea of “torn” and the previous
idea of “offering” would suggest that a persecution motif is prevalent in these
few verses. Although it was thought to be from the
same root as the Arabic wswy by Judaism in the Tosefta and other writings, such
an understanding is too forced. Arabic cannot be a tool to unlock semantics in
the Old Testament since Mohammed lived more than a millennium after Zechariah.
Arabic underwent just as many changes of semantics in one hundred years, as
modern Arabic linguistics indicate, so that such a long period of constancy for
a rare word is not possible. The waw is not after the aleph as
Judaism is explaining but before it. In the Sanhedrin Talmud 93a this Arabic
meaning was ascribed to the Hebrew Masoretic Text reading when it asked: “Was
it Joshua’s habit to wear dirty clothes?” The actual idea is not “filthy”
clothes but “torn” clothes. The persecution motif started in verse
1 already with Satan who wants to destroy him. Therefore the chosen one is an
offering [meant to be persecuted] saved from the fire [persecution] in verse 2.
No wonder Joshua is standing in torn clothes in verse 3. In verse 4 he said to him: “Look, I
have caused to pass by from over you, your [KJV “iniquity”]. The word for iniquity is common in the
Psalms and this specific root `wn is also used by David in his penitence Psalm
of 51:4. It is tempting in the light of the already common use of Egyptian
glosses at this period (520 BCE) to suggest that `wn in the Hebrew of
Zechariah, is the Hebrew cognate loaded with Egyptian meaning `wn meaning “be
rapacious or defraud”. The word appears in Egyptian normally
with hr or m and is it just coincidental that here in the Hebrew Masoretic Text
the word is preceded by the preposition m? Translated thus: “I have caused to
pass by from you, your defraud/plundering”. The Midrash Rabbah to Deuteronomy 5:3
translated this root with the meaning “perversion or wrong”. The Byzantine
Aramaic meanings are sometimes influenced by Arabic roots [after 650 CE] but
caution should be displayed whether our dictionary meanings was deduced from a
Byzantine Jewish meaning. Biblical Semantics is not yet properly solved and
much needed to be done in this science. All scholars will tell you that.
Judaism of a 1000 years after Zechariah will not necessarily have preserved the
“original meanings” especially when they were influence by Arabic as they were
[See the subject and books on influences in Jewish Philosophy]. Zechariah said in verse 5: “Let them
place [KJV “a fair mitre] upon his head”. The word “fair” is used by nearly all
translations from the cognate Hebrew word thr meaning “pure”. However, Egyptian
also had a word twr for “pure” sometimes in an abbreviated form of tr or t(r)i
meaning “to show respect for” or “awe”. The word snyp before this word thyr is
problematic. However if one can expect Egyptian influence to be strong in this
period and in this verse, the expression snyp (pronounced snyf) thyr of the
Hebrew Masoretic text of Zechariah can correspond to the Egyptian idiom sdf3
tryt which indicates the action of “showing respect, awe or swearing”. Translate thus: “Let them place
honorific respect upon his head. Then in verse 6 he said: “And the angel
of the Lord [KJV protested] unto Joshua.” The very unusual word wyy`d is used
[Qal Imperfectum of the verb y`d] which most dictionaries would like to take as
“determine or appoint”. The word is not very common in this form. My suggestion
is to use the Egyptian word `d which means “perceive, recognize” as semantics
for this root. Translate then: “and the angel of the Lord was recognizing unto
Joshua saying”. In verse 7 there is a double
conditional sentence: a)
If
…then also b) If….then also. If Joshua walks in His ways then also
(7d) will he judge His house. If Joshua shall keep His charges (7c)
[which is legal language?] then also (7e) will he keep his dispellings ([KJV
courts]. Translate here “dispellings” on the
basis that the Egyptian word hsr means “dispelling, to drive off, to ward off”.
In this context such a word might indicate legal dispellings. With the authority to charge (7c)
judge (7d) and dispel (7e), God will give to Joshua “from the walking ones
between those who are standing here”. The KJV sees it as “places of walking”.
Because both these words are participles, it is suggested that they are referring
to people and that the fact that in verse 8b that participle is definitely
people, this should clear up the issue to keep “people” [my translation] instead
of “places” [KJV]. The participles are mhlkym (7e) h`mdym (7f) and hyysbym
(8b). In this verse the angel is giving
Joshua the message that he will be instituted with legal judgmental authority. It is not certain whether their court
actions took place in a setting where the accused stand still and the accuser
walks around the accused? Maybe if 3:1-2 is taken in to account
with Joshua standing and the destroyer at his righthand taken to be the walking
one, then what the Lord is saying to Joshua is that by having him instituted as
Judge, He will take these Judging roles of the walking ones and give “these
things” h’llh (7g) to Joshua “the standing one(s)”? In verse 8 again the particle n’ is
used. It is translated as “Listen now” or “Hear now”. Maybe it was used in
Egypt after cohortatives in the strengthening of the verbal action and that
when it was indexed in the Egyptian dictionary in those examples they mean “repulse
or refuse”. Translate here: “Listen! Repulse!
Joshua the High Priest”. It brings the question: repulse from what? If Joshua friends are sitting before
him. If he is the highpriestly Judge and his friends are sitting around him
then the accused are probably standing and the accusers are walking around and
between them. “because men of wonder they are”. These are the friends of Joshua. It is
really not clear here whether it is Joshua’s friends who are men of wonder and
if it is the walking ones that are given to Joshua that are these men of wonder.
The reason they must listen is that “behold
I will bring forth my servant, a Branch”. This is a Messianic promise. In verse 9 the symbol of the branch
smh flows forth in this verse into the symbol of the stone with 7 eyes. If the words for eyes is taken in the
Egyptian meaning `jn = “beautiful” and thus means “seven beautiful ones” then
it means that inscription that the Lord will engrave on it, then it can mean
that `ynym could refer to seven prophetic words given in the last part of the
verse: (1) And I will remove (2) the (3)
plunder of (5) that (6) land (7) one day. The Lord removed the plunder of Joshua
by Satan by installing him as Judge. Now He promises on an engraving stone
before Joshua the Judge that He will remove the plunder of the Lord in one day.
It is not easy to say whether this prophecy of the removal of the plunder of
the Lord should have reference to the Branch. The question is, does God give to
Zechariah in 520 BCE the return under Zerubabel in one day? Does the Branch
refer to Christ and that land’s plunder to Satan destructive accusations which
will be removed in one day in 31 CE on the cross? Or does this Branch refer to
the remnant at the eschatological time of the end when God’s theophany and
apocalyptic cataclysmic intervention in history will cause the plunder of the
land to stop in one day? We have three paradigms here: Zerubabel, Christ and
Eschatology. Which one is appropriate? If we carefully weigh Micah 5:2 and
bring it to Daniel 12:1 there is a possibility that the Time of Trouble will
not last longer than 9 months. One day is one year in prophecy and 9
months will be a shortening of this Time of Trouble. In verse 10 Zechariah said: “In that
day said the Lord of Hosts, shall you [plural] call each on to his neighbor
towards under the vine and towards under the fig tree”. It is not certain whether this
symbolism of the vine and fig tree should be connected to the branch and
whether this is the telic part of a process in verse 10 which is started in
verse 9 with just a branch? That means, from a branch it went and end with
vines and fig trees, high enough for them to be “under” tht. The next question is, who is addressed
here? Is it Joshua’s friends wr`yk (verse 8) that will call here each one to
his neighbor (lr`hw) (verse 10)? Is this prophecy and the prophecy of the
branch and the inscription tied together as been placed before the
consideration (listen now in verse 8) of Judge Joshua, his perception (stone
laid before him in verse 9) to his remembrance as an abiding oath (the
inscription of removal of plunder in verse 9) and that verse 10 is connected to
these promises painting the picture of friends calling each other towards the beautiful
orchards at a future time of peace and tranquility? When is that future time of peace and
tranquility? The other returns from exile still
need to take place in 520 BCE although one happened in 538-6 BCE. Verse 10 says: “you will call”. Did
this mean Zechariah’s immediate audience? Are all these promises or were all of
them fulfilled by 516 BCE or 457 BCE? If Satan is pictured in this Persian
Period as the plunderer of people or land does the peace and tranquility of
verse 10 in an orchard refer to the after effects of the removal of the plunder
by a Branch? Does this Branch refer to the remnant
at the end time and the removal of plunder to God’s eschatological intervention
and “that day” to the time of the peace and tranquility of which Revelation 20
is talking, namely the heavenly paradise motif, namely Urzeit ist Endzeit
motif? Or is this Branch, Christ Who will in
one day remove the plunder of Satan in 31 CE that will have the effect that
each one will call on his neighbor to proclaim the good news? Three paradigms are possible here. Ellen White said about the time of
this chapter: “Now is reached the complete fulfillment
of the words of the Angel recorded in verse 8. Christ is revealed as the
Redeemer and Deliverer of His people. Now indeed are the remnant ‘men wondered
at,’ as the tears and humiliation of their pilgrimage give place to joy and
honor in the presence of God and the Lamb.”—Ellen White in Prophets
and Kings, page 592. She also said: “Zechariah's vision of Joshua and the
Angel applies with peculiar force to the experience of God's people in the
closing scenes of the great day of atonement. The remnant church will then be
brought into great trial and distress. . . . They will be 'betrayed both by
parents, and brethren, and kinsfolks, and friends,' even unto death. Their only
hope is in the mercy of God; their only defense will be prayer. . . . As the
people of God afflict their souls before Him, pleading for purity of heart, the
command is given, `Take away the filthy garments,’ and the encouraging words
are spoken, `Behold, I have caused thine iniquity to pass from thee, and I will
clothe thee with change of raiment’ The spotless robe of Christ's righteousness
is placed upon the tried, tempted, faithful children of God.”—Ellen
White in Prophets and Kings, pages 587-591. Delitzsch saw the fulfillment as in
one day by Christ on the cross in which all iniquity of the church is taken
away (1884: 262) “This one day is the day of Golgotha”.
Dear Lord Your name was also Joshua on earth or
Jesus. Also You were the Branch. Satan also tempted and accused You. If Joshua
heard what is going to happen in our future, help us to have a part in it. In
Jesus Name Amen.